[Multisystemic therapy for child abuse and neglect (MST-CAN): description of the treatment, psychiatric morbidity, and the psychiatrist's role]. / Multisysteemtherapie bij kindermishandeling (MST-CAN): beschrijving van de behandeling, de psychiatrische problematiek en de rol van de psychiater.

BACKGROUND: Many untreated psychiatric problems occur in families where there is child abuse. It is very important to find ways of ensuring that the hard-to-reach families receive adequate psychiatric assessment and appropriate treatment. AIM: To describe the treatment method and first results of multisystemic therapy for child abuse and neglect (mst-can). METHOD: We report the psychiatric problems of the first 18 families that were treated and we report the follow-up during the first 18 months. In addition, the mst-can treatment and the psychiatrist's role are illustrated by taking two cases as an example. RESULTS: Most of the families agreed to a psychiatric assessment and subsequent treatment. In most families safety improved considerably and out-of-house placements were avoided. CONCLUSION: The first results suggest that mst-can is a promising treatment for families where there is child abuse. Essential elements of mst-can are targeted psychiatric diagnostic assessment and subsequent treatment.

Old and lonely?

The purpose of the present study was first, to assess the incidence of loneliness among older adults in light of gender, marital status, age and health, and second, to assess the associations between loneliness and a) descriptive characteristics and b) evaluations of the respondents' personal relationships. Interviews were conducted with 461 men and women, aged 65 and over, and living either at home or in institutions. The results show that it is necessary to examine the combined effects of marital status, gender, age and health in order to adequately assess the incidence of loneliness among older individuals. The study also reveals that an evaluation of the quality of personal relationships contributes more to the study of the incidence of loneliness than describing their characteristics.

[Admission to a home for the aged; a solution for the lonely aged?]. / Opname in een verzorgingstehuis; een oplossing voor eenzame ouderen?

The suitability of criteria on the base of which elderly are admitted to residential homes is a topic of current debate. The present research project explored the significance of the criterion of 'loneliness'. Data for this study were obtained from interviews with elderly inhabitants of Alkmaar. Individuals who spontaneously mentioned loneliness as an argument for admittance, as well as individuals who provided other criteria only, were part of the sample. In addition the respondents were classified according to gender, and to (still) living independently versus living in an institution. The data revealed that the elderly who spontaneously mentioned loneliness in their application differed in a number of ways from the other individuals in the sample. For example, their average scores on (validated) loneliness measuring instruments were significantly higher in the period prior to admittance to a residential institution. After admittance no significant differences in loneliness scores could be found between people who had previously mentioned loneliness as an argument and those who had not.